Zombie Raid (1995). Play online

Summary

Zombie Raid drops you into a side‑scrolling, horror‑themed light‑gun arcade where the gun itself is a pump‑action shotgun fitted to the cabinet. You blast through graveyards, cursed castles and a mad‑scientist’s lab while trying to avoid hitting innocent bystanders, which immediately saps your health and discards any weapon power‑ups you’ve collected. The game features five distinct stages, each ending in a unique boss that must be defeated to move forward, and the final confrontation requires finding three colored crystals and placing them in the correct order – a mistake throws your character into a pit of spikes.

The standard handgun at the start can be upgraded to shotguns, machine guns or fire rifles hidden inside destructible scenery such as gravestones and windows. A multitude of hidden secrets reward careful play with extra lives or bonus items, adding depth beyond the straightforward shooting. Zombie Raid runs on Seta’s first‑generation arcade hardware, delivering crisp sprite graphics, and its soundtrack was composed by Brian L. Schmidt, famed for the BSMT2000 sound system (though this game uses a different chip). Despite its niche release solely in North America, it remains a quirky cult classic among retro gun‑shoe fans.

Storyline

Zombie Raid on Arcade drops players into 1918 England, where a village is plagued by kidnappings, grave‑robbing and armed zombies. Private detective Edward Windsor is hired to investigate after the police deem the case too dangerous. A shootout in the village cemetery lets Edward rescue a man named Charles, and the duo storms a nearby castle that appears to be the source of the undead. Inside, they are split; Edward falls into a dungeon and battles his way back to the surface.

Reunited, Charles is mortally shot but the wound triggers a horrific infection that mutates him into a monstrous creature, forcing Edward to fight his former ally. After defeating the first mutation, Edward navigates the castle’s laboratory, only to encounter a second, more form of Charles guarding the exit. The final challenge requires placing three colored crystals in the correct order; a wrong choice drops Edward into a pit and ends the game.

When the puzzle is solved, Edward confronts the mad scientist behind the zombie outbreak, who drinks his own potion and transforms into a giant reptilian beast. Edward shoots the beast’s head off, walks away, and reflects that the village is safe but his mission feels unfinished.